Take Control of Your Feet
The human body is an incredibly efficient machine that, over time, will adapt to loads and stresses by increasing the strength of its tissues. Walk around any weight room in America and you will see examples of tissue adaptation (think Arnold Schwarzenegger). Conversely, if there is a lack of stress or demand placed on muscle or bone, tissue wasting can occur. A perfect example may be right underneath you: your feet. Imagine someone that sits at a desk while wearing dress shoes for eight hours a day, year-after-year. One evening, he goes for a walk but limps the final steps to his house as his feet have become painful. Some will say this is due to bad arch supports, worn out shoes, or even bad feet. Or, could it be that the muscles in his feet are weak?
Stretch of the Week: Curtsy Shin Stretch
For the second week of January, we will be performing a Curtsy Shin Stretch. You will feel this stretch in the muscles from the bottom of your knee to the top of your foot.
Stretch of the Week: Flexion/Extension Foot Exercise
In the last week of September we will be performing a combination of movements from week 2 and week 3 of this month, so make sure you go back and check them out!
Stretch of the Week: Top of the Foot Stretch
In the third week of September we will be performing the Top of the Foot Stretch.
This is a bonus stretch because in addition to stretching the top of the foot, it stretches the shin muscles too! To perform this stretch you will need a sturdy chair. Please do not attempt this stretch if you have any foot or shin injuries.
Stretch of the Week: Sole of the Foot Stretch
For the second week of September we will be performing the Sole of the Foot Stretch with a chair.
This exercise will stretch all the muscles on the bottom of the foot. Plus, this is a bonus stretch because it gets into the calf muscles as well! You will need a steady folding chair and a bit of wall space for this stretch.
